In an Instant
by Frostbite
Summary: A shor little Fic I wrote up one night. So many things happen in an instant. Read and Review!!


Hey, I wrote this late one night, in about 30 minutes.  Don't know why.  I must credit this to (insert name) because for some reason you reviewing the tricycle story made me want to write another little story.  And this just kinda came out of nowhere.  Hope you like it, enjoy.

**In an Instant**

By Frostbite

A second, an instant, and it was all over.  Funny how things in life are like that, unexpected, sudden, and sometimes so final.   She had barely had time to think, time to properly react.  She had been faced with a decision, act now or live forever in regret.  She had chosen regret.  

Regret was the safe choice; one did not risk themselves by choosing regret.  She would spend a long time wishing she had tried, wishing she had gone for it, but at least this way, she was able to regret this, and not something.  She had decided long ago, that regretting inaction was better than regretting action.  

But sometimes it felt like it would drive her insane, not know, wondering, thinking about what could've been, what she could've had.  'Better not to linger in the past' she thought to herself, pushing thoughts of regret aside, 'what's done is done.'

An instant, gone in an instant.  A past, a future, a path disappearing, a door forever shut.  Possibilities closed, as they did every second of every day.  Countless choices she took, and did not take, all effecting the direction her life went.  A second, an insignificant little second, and yet so important, so life altering.

Sometimes she wished she could get back those precious seconds, fabric of her life, that slipped by so easily.  But the clock stopped for no one, and so what is gone, must remain gone.

Akane sighed once more, looking longingly at the last cookie Ranma was about to devour.  She had hesitated to take it, out of courtesy of course, and Ranma knowing very little (or in fact simply ignoring very much) of courtesy, had taken it without delay.

He stuffed half of it into his mouth, and chewed on it thoughtfully.  Akane sighed once more, soon the cookie would be gone, and she would have none.  

"Stop that!" said Ranma, clearly annoyed.

"What?" she asked quietly, sighing again as if existence was utterly pointless, and she was only participating in it because she didn't possess the energy to stop.

"Stop that sighing!" he glared at her, which was hard to take seriously, as he had cookie crumbs all around his mouth.  "If you wanted some, you shoulda just said so!"

"Oh," replied Akane, taken a little by surprise, and feeling certainly a little stupid.  How did he manage to always make her feel like that? 'Maybe because you ARE stupid', something muttered in the back of her head.  She tried her best to ignore it, as usual.

"I was just trying to be polite," she said defensively, which was not a good sign, but of course Ranma in all his 'wisdom' did not pick up on this.  All he heard was some weak excuse, that was stupid and deserved -in fact was practically begging- to be mocked.

"Sure" he said, snorting to tell her just what he though of that.  Then he picked up the rest of the cookie and eyed it warily.  He then shrugged, and made as if to pop it in his mouth.  Akane stared at him, her mouth agape.  He was just going to eat it, and give her none! That jerk!

"Hey" she exclaimed indignantly

"Yes?" he asked, as if he hadn't the slightest idea why she would be cross with him.

"Well?  Aren't you going to give me any of the cookie?" she demanded

"Why Akane," he responded, feigning innocence, "I had no idea you wanted any.  I don't remember you asking for any."

Akane practically snarled at him.  He was just trying to pick a fight!  She decided to play along, after all if she got the cookie, she won, who cares what he thought.

"Well then Ranma, may I please have some of that cookie?" she asked as politely and pleasantly as possible.

He paused for a moment, and then said, "No."

"What?!" she was more than a little surprised.

"I said no.  You had your chance, you shoulda taken the cookie then.  But you hesitated, and you were too slow, and that's your own fault.   I on the other hand, knew what I wanted and went for it.  That's why I'll always be better at martial arts than you.  I know when to act" he smirked at her, and watched as she fumed.  He didn't know why he was doing this, he knew it was dangerous, but Akane was being so nice to him lately, and he was almost sure she was doing it just to confuse him.  He better put an end to that.  Besides, teasing her was incredibly fun, and surprisingly easy.

She shot up from the table, and slammed her hand down on the table in an effectively intimidating gesture "Give me that cookie you Jerk!!" she bellowed across the table.

Ranma quaked slightly; now he'd done it.  But for some reason he couldn't back down.  He forced any fear from his face, and remained seated, as if he wasn't at all concerned with her behavior.  "Jerk? Ha, you should be grateful Akane, from the looks of it you definitely could go without some cookies."  He smiled inwardly even as he yelled at himself.  That had been a pretty good one, by his standards, but now she was probably going to send him in orbit.

"WHAT!?" Akane began to tremble in anger, even as the room seemed to darken, a sort of red aura surrounding her.  How dare he imply she was fat!  How dare he take HER cookie!  Akane reached over and grabbed Ranma -who for reasons beyond his comprehension was always unable to defend himself against her, despite his superior strength and speed- by his shirt collar and hoisted him towards her across the table.  One mighty upper cut later Ranma was flying through the air, a hole in the room clearly telling of where he had gone.  She yelled something after him, but as he was busy traveling faster than the speed of sound, he didn't hear her message.  It mattered not, because he already knew what she had said, from countless incidents before: "Ranma you Jerk!!!"

Akane sat back down, still quite pissed, contemplating what other violence she could inflict upon Ranma once he returned, when she noticed something lying on the table, right across form her: half a cookie.  In all the commotion, he must have dropped it, she thought, and before she could hesitate any longer, she picked it up and popped it in her mouth.  

"HMmmmmm" sighed Akane, already in a better mood, and she munched greedily on her treat.  Maybe what was gone didn't have to stay gone after all, she mused

Just then Kasumi came into the dinning room, ready to retrieve the plate.

"Oh my," she said quietly, as she saw Akane eating what was no doubt the last cookie, "I hope you left some for Ranma, Akane."

Akane looked up at her sister, and despite the fact that her mouth was full of cookie bits, she decided to answer –she was sick of being polite.  "Nopf," she explained calmly, "Not at all." And she smiled.

---

Did you like it?

Tell me what you think.  Review!


End file.
